Corn harvester



NOV. 2l, 1939. Y H J, KUHLMAN 2,180,595 v CORN HARVESTER Filed Jan. 6,1937 :Snoentor ffn'ryxxuhlman,

Patented Nov, 21, 1939.

PATENT carical Henry J. Kuhlman, Waterloo, Iowa, assignor to KuhlmanManufacturing Company, Waterloo,

uIowa, a corporation of Iowa Application January 6, 1937, Serial No.119,247

1 Claim.

My invention relates to ,improvements in corn harvesters, and an objectof my improvements is to so couple a connected pair of such harvestersas to permit of their being adjustably spaced 5 apart at their forwardgathering parts transversely to thereby conform to any of differentlyspaced rows of corn stalks ahead and to thus` prevent riding down ofstalks because of improper alinement therewith.

i Another objectof my improvementsis to.so relate such a pair ofharvesters to an intermediate or otherwise coupled tractor device, thatthe harvesters may be propelled thereby as so adjusted relativelytransversely to'each other and 15 the tractor, that corn rows maybesucce'ssfully I gathered thereby without riding down, and when sogathered may be divested of ears broken from their stems within theirhusks, without loss of ears when so removed by being pushed from theirhusks during the forward progress of the coupled harvesters. l

Another object of my improvements is to provide means on the harvestersfor adjusting their rear parts suitablyto permit the harvesters vto beadjusted transversely apart as above stated, to,

cause them to be alined properly with tworows of corn stalks ahead, ineither of transverselyspread.

positions when suitablyadjusted therefor.

Another object of my improvements is to iur.

that my invention includes mechanical equivalents or anyvariations-thereof to be iised for the above purposes.

In the appended drawing; Fig. 1 is a top plan.

of a pair of spaced corn harvesters of like construction supported onopposite sides of an intermediate tractor, the latter shown invdiagrammatic form, and parts of the harvesters and tractor beingmedially transversely broken away, with certain portions of themechanisms of both removed. Fig. 2 is an enlargedrside elevation of oneof the rear adjusting devices for adjustably lifting and tilting saidharvesters relative to the tractor. l Corn (maize) rows are generallyplanted with like parallel rows of hills, havinglike spacingtransversely, but at times the rows are otherwise spaced. For instance,such rows may be spaced apart at any ldistance from a minimum spacing of36 inchesto 42 inches, or to any intermediate spacing between saidlimits, apart, due to the l employment of different planters used. Ithas 5 vtherefore been found, that a harvester pair whose spacing apartof their fenders transversely is one of such dimensions only, whenoperating upon two rows of corn stalks with a different spacing of therows, this will cause a displacement of the l0 receiving fendersrelative to the rows, whereby;v many or all of the corn stalks areridden down and-not operated upon, orbroken at their bases or bodilypulled from the soil.l

It is the object, therefore, of my improvements, 15V to provideperfectly operating means for gather;I ing stalks of such rows, byadjustments of thel means to accommodate the harvesters to either-Qf'such transverse spacing of the rows, to prevent the saidinconvenience and loss. 20

' The numeral I denotes a tractor, with parts removed or broken away,positioned between two like corn harvesters. The tractor has a' frame Iawith spaced rigid side beams on which is mounted a motor 2 of the usualtype, and the forwardv end 2`5 of said frame has a medial forwardlyprojecting arm 3a upon whose forward extremity is mounted a laterallyswingable steering wheel 3. Just ahead of said motor' is a fixed crossbeam 'l extending at both ends laterally under the frame. 30

The tractor has a widely spaced pair of rear carrying wheels 4 xed on'anaxle I8 which traverses and is rotatable in and through the whole lengthof a tubular housing I1. Referring to said Fig.- 2, the axle I8 is shownas rotatably seated 35 at each end in a sleeve bearing or outward pro,-jection 26a of an upwardly widened standard 26 whose base is fixed on aside beam I9 of the adjacent harvester. The opposite parts of thewidened end of the standard has bolt-holes traversed by 40 bolts 2lb.Upon one face of the widened portion of each standard is mounted acrescental member `2'! having an upper narrowed projection having anapertured bearing at 21c in which is seated an end partof a sectionalrotatable shaft I6, 45

whose, end sections are connected by means of universal couplings I5 andI5a to an intermediate section of the shaft. 'I'his shaft is mounted inbearings 24 on a plurality of spaced longitudinal beams I9 and 20 of thepair of harvesters, the 50 outer beams I9 at their forward endssupporting the fender parts 38 and 39 as usual. The beams I9 aretiltable forward and back in said bearing 21e on the shaft I6. A plate25 is secured to the outer wall of each beam I9 for adjustments 56 2 ltherealong by the bolts 2Gb traversing longitudinal slots 25a in saidbeam. 'I'he beam may be thus with the harvester frame tilted on theshaft end I3. The crescental part 21 may also be tilted rockably on thestandard 23, forward or rearwardly. Opposite arcuate slots receivetherethrough the bolts 21h secured by end nuts. These standards 25,which are on both of the beams I 9 and 20, 'may have the plates 21 allladjusted alike tiltably to permit the rear part of theharvesters to betilted forward and back to thus more or less depress or elevate them andto adjust the inclination of the harvesters forwardly and downwardly. Asstated above, the frames of the harvester may be adjusted longitudinallywhere the bolts 2Gb traverse the longitudinal -slots 25a in the beams I9and 20.

The rear ends oi' the beams I9 carry inwardly downwardly inclined chutes2I which deliver husked ears into the forward part of the trough 22 foran endless carrier, but the chutes are not secured to the trough.

It will be understood that the mechanism thus far described as well asthe tractor and harvester framings may be varied without departing frommy invention which is not dependent on details. Also the inventionherein is not confined to such details of gathering, and breaking ofears within and from the husks as are disclosed in my prior Patent No.2,169,070 and application for patent Serial Number 115,112. In thepresent drawings, I have shown like pairs of ear breaking and cleaningrolls 32 and 33, whose forward ends are rotatable on the inbent bracketrods 34, their rear ends seated in the bearings 30, with the rear endonly of the roll` 33 carrying a miter gear 29-in mesh with a miterpinion 28 in each case on said shaft I6. The motor shaft 8 carries atits rear end a miter gear 9 meshing with a miter pinion II on atransverse shaft I mounted on parts of the frame by supports not shown.On one end of the shaft I0 is mounted a sprocket wheel I2 carrying oneend of a sprocket chain I3 whose forward end is carried by anothersprocket wheel I4 mounted on said shaft I6 to drive it with 4the rolls32 and 33 as before explained.

On the forward end of the tractor frame are pivoted forwardly extendingarms 6 to whose forward parts are secured medial parts of aprow 5 (shownin horizontal section). The numeral 35 denotes one of a like butreversed pair of S-shaped brackets bolted rigidly to the for- Ward endsof the harvester beams 20, and each bracket has a transverse slot 36traversed by a bolt and nut connection at 31, whereby the beam 20 andthe frame of the harvester in front may be laterally adjusted, in orderto position the forward terminations oi' the pairs of rolls 32 and 33apart more or less, to thus space the interspaces thereof laterallyapart the proper distance to conform medially to the middle lines of twoadjacent rows of corn stalks in spaced hills.

In order to make the necessary adjustments of these parts, when theadjustments have been effected at 35 and 31, also by tilting adjustmentsmade between all the standards 26, plates 21 and beams I9 and 20, theparts being then secured in their adjusted positions, the two pairs ofrolls 32 and 33 are prepared in lateral spacing apart to ride inalinement with the rows of stalks medially, as necessary to conform tothe particular spacing of the rows.

As the only connections between the tractor and the pair of harvestersare those shown, it will be seen that the latter may be effectivelyadjusted relatively to the tractor and to each other, it beingespecially noted that the pair of universal couplings I5 and I5a of thesections of the shaft I6 allow of such relative adjustments of theharvesters as above described as the coupling connections permitrelative movements of the frames of the harvesters to and from eachother sumciently to permit of varying the interspaces of the forwardreceiving ends of the rolls 32 and 33 to allow the rolls to span thestalks in the rows medially, thuspreventing any possibility, as would bethe case with harvesters rigidly non-adjustably-connected, of thefenders and adjacent members riding down any stalks, or breaking themolf. These adjustments need to be made for the particular spacing of therows, when of different widths in different fields, and may beafterwards again adjusted for a field where the corn rows are less ormore widely spaced apart.

. It will also be noted that as the middle section of the shaft I6 ispositively driven by the tractor motor 8 and intervening mechanism, therocking relatively of the harvester frames in making the aboveadjustments does not ailect in any way the operations of the pairs ofrolls with their intervening gearing.

The forwardly inclined frame beams I9 are pivoted near their rear endsadjustably as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the frames I9 and 20of the harvesters are resiliently suspended and supported upon thetractor side beams Ia. Vertical standards 3 Ib are shown in broken linesas xed on the beams Ia, and a transverse plate 3Ia is fixed on thesestandards. The harvester pairs of beams I9 and 20 are rigidly connectedby arches 3l. Coiled springs 3Ic` connect the arches 3l suspensivelyfrom the ends of the plate or cross-bar 3Ia. The harvesters are thushung medially resiliently from the cross-bar 3| a and supported on thetractor frame I, and may be swung upwardly and downwardly by means notshown, but which will be included and claimed in another application forpatent not filed.

I claim:

In combination, a tractor having a forward prow, a pair of like cornharvesters positioned on opposite sides of the tractor and havingforward prows, the corn harvesters having frames containing longitudinalpairs of oppositely rotatable coacting gathering, snapping and huskingrolls driven by the mechanism of the tractor, the

harvester frames extending alongside the tractor, longitudinal side barson said frame, rigid adjustable connecting means betweenthe forlaterallyto and from the tractor by adjustments of said connecting means betweenthe bars and rocking adjustments of said hinging means on the tractor.

HENRY J. KUHLMAN.

